By Cara FriedmanOnly a few years ago the phenomenon known as Black Friday began. Right after Thanksgiving dinner you would head out to the nearest Best Buy or Walmart and waited until they opened their doors early that morning. There would be lines of people around the block waiting for the best deals on televisions, GPSs, and more. Every year the stores decided to open earlier and earlier. Last year many stores opted to open on Thanksgiving Day skipping Black Friday altogether.

Not too long after, the day known as Cyber Monday began. This was the Monday after Thanksgiving where you could get all the same doorbusters as Black Friday, but a few days later and without having to leave your home. You can imagine how popular of an option this became. Why wait in the cold from midnight to 5AM when you could get the same low prices from the comfort of your computer chair?

It has gotten to the point that stores have become so impatient that they are beginning their infamous “Black Friday” deals before Thanksgiving! For example, Amazon.com has been promoting Black Friday Week where they search for the best savings from everywhere and promise to match the lowest price. Along with Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Target, eBay, Kmart, and Toys ‘R’ Us are among the many that are starting their deals early and doing them online.

Many of these stores are using social media sites to push their “Black Friday” deals. One example is seen with Coca-Cola who is using SCVNGR to market their Black Friday deals. Although Coke may not have great deals on laptop computers, they are joining in on the shopping experience by turning Black Friday into an online adventure. Apple also took to social media to promote their Black Friday deals for this year. For all of those who enjoy the morning rush of Black Friday, there are still many stores that will be opening early such as Sears and Old Navy. The social media savvy will have an edge over those other holiday shoppers. Foursquare is offering deals at everywhere from Payless to Radio Shack for check-ins on Black Friday. Look out for special badges too!

Are you going to be waiting on line on Friday morning or will you be getting your deals online now? Have you learned about the best Black Friday deals by using social media? How are other companies promoting their deals with social media? Share your thoughts in the comments!